NationStates Jolt Archive

Today, is a day to honour our troops who fought so bravely for the Empire and for freedom. Today is day to celebrate freedom. Today is a day to be ashamed, appauled and angry! On this day in 1975 freedom was destroyed. On this day, this most scared day to the Commonwealth, the Crown descided the freedoms that our troops fought and died for, were not worth having. On this day of all days.

November 11, 1975, Rememberance Day. The Prime Minsiter in the Right Honourable Prime Minister Gough Whitlam, who is praised as the great reformer by the left and condemned by the right. His government holds a narrow majority in the Lower House and forms a megre minority in the Senate.

Gough Whitlam formed a Cabnet of entirely ex-servicemen, MPs, reformed and partiots in their own right.

The beucracy that had enjoyed conversative government control for over two decades stalled the government at every turn.

The Senate refused to pass the Bill of Supply and by 1975 the government was out of money and unable to pay even their cleaning staff.

On the morning of Rememberance Day the Prime Minister drove to Government House where he informed the Governor-General he would call a Half Senate election.

This is a Constitutional Right of a sitting Prime Minister and a traditional power to hold the Senate (who sits a six year term) accountable to the people, for their actions.

However, the Governor-General choose instead to dimiss the Prime Minister.

The democratically elected Prime Minister was dismissed by a man who held no elected office and was an extension of empirial power!

Then to pour into the wound of the Australian people, appointed the leader of the opposition Prime Minister!

Not only was the democratically elected government dimissed, the opposition was placed into power.

This is a day that we as a Commonwealth must forever mourn and never forget.

We can never forgive, nor forget the day democracy was destroyed.

The day Australia was stripped of her freedom and her government raped by the empire she fought for. The empire her Prime Minister had fought for.

Lest we forget...

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gough_Whitlam

Good ol' wiki...

Ironically Whitlam tried to do the exact same thing in 1970 to force Gorton to an election; but the DLP wouldn't support his effort to block supply. To blame the GG is a little harsh. This was between Fraiser and Whitlam; and if the deadlock wasn't broken, governance would have fallen apart.

And the GG used an election to break the deadlock; whats undemocratic about that?

More generally the left (and sometimes the right) point at the Senate and yell that it is undemocratic. In reality it is the more democratic house; and to reject its rights is to oppose democracy, not support it.

Ironically Whitlam tried to do the exact same thing in 1970 to force Gorton to an election; but the DLP wouldn't support his effort to block supply. To blame the GG is a little harsh. This was between Fraiser and Whitlam; and if the deadlock wasn't broken, governance would have fallen apart.

And the GG used an election to break the deadlock; whats undemocratic about that?

More generally the left (and sometimes the right) point at the Senate and yell that it is undemocratic. In reality it is the more democratic house; and to reject its rights is to oppose democracy, not support it.
The choice was simple. Let the people decide. That's the reason the PM has the power to disolve the Parliament.

So that if a dealock occurs democracy can hold the parliament accountable and divine their future.

The Governor-General did not need to block and election and then dismiss the democractically elected Prime Minister, when the Prime Minsiter was trying to call and election. To say otherwise is ludicrous.

The Senate has every right to blockade legislation, however the people of Australia have the right to remove them form their seats if they fail to act in accordance with their wishes.

The choice was simple. Let the people decide. That's the reason the PM has the power to disolve the Parliament.

So that if a dealock occurs democracy can hold the parliament accountable and divine their future.

The Governor-General did not need to block and election and then dismiss the democractically elected Prime Minister, when the Prime Minsiter was trying to call and election. To say otherwise is ludicrous.

The Senate has every right to blockade legislation, however the people of Australia have the right to remove them form their seats if they fail to act in accordance with their wishes.

A double dissolution election; not a farce of a half Senate election was needed. It should be in the Constitution that if supply fails, there is an immediate double dissolution election.

Half Senate elections always go against government, so supply would have still been blocked.

A double dissolution election; not a farce of a half Senate election was needed. It should be in the Constitution that if supply fails, there is an immediate double dissolution election.

Half Senate elections always go against government, so supply would have still been blocked.
Yes, it should. However, it isn't. So the Prime Minister needs to make do with the power to send half the Senate to the people.

Half Senate elections do not always go against the government, we have them every three years.

Prior to his dismissal and the subsequent Frasier administration, Whitlam was still polling decently. Plus he had a number of slam dunk seats tactically vacated, meaning he could gain a minimum majority in the Senate.

Yes, it should. However, it isn't. So the Prime Minister needs to make do with the power to send half the Senate to the people.

Half Senate elections do not always go against the government, we have them every three years.

Prior to his dismissal and the subsequent Frasier administration, Whitlam was still polling decently. Plus he had a number of slam dunk seats tactically vacated, meaning he could gain a minimum majority in the Senate.

We don't have half Senate elections; their regular elections. Half Senate election are ONLY half the senate. And Whitlam's wasn't polling very well; being dismissed actually increased his support, just not enough.

We don't have half Senate elections; their regular elections. Half Senate election are ONLY half the senate. And Whitlam's wasn't polling very well; being dismissed actually increased his support, just not enough.
Every regular election is a half Senate election. Six year terms split between two groups, with group one going to vote in election one and group two going to vote in election two.

I'm currently scrolling the National Archives for his actual poll results.

Gough Whitlam only wanted to call a half Senate election; purely half the Senate. Trust me on this; I'm majoring in politics and I did all this just this semester and an exam on it on Tuesday; speaking of which I should probably get back to.

Gough Whitlam only wanted to call a half Senate election; purely half the Senate. Trust me on this; I'm majoring in politics and I did all this just this semester and an exam on it on Tuesday; speaking of which I should probably get back to.
I never said he didn't, in fact I'm reasonably I sure I said he did. The point is that EVERY election is a half Senate election. I'm greatly concered for your assignment if you're confused on this...

Did the GG do this on instructions from the UK, or was it something he did solely because fo Australia's internal problems at that time?

Did the GG do this on instructions from the UK, or was it something he did solely because fo Australia's internal problems at that time?
I can't answe that. He was under no obligation to explain himself, and didn't.

I never said he didn't, in fact I'm reasonably I sure I said he did. The point is that EVERY election is a half Senate election. I'm greatly concered for your assignment if you're confused on this...
Every election has half the Senate up for election; yes. But it is not called a half-Senate election. To quote(ish) Falkner, "There has not been a half Senate in election Australia since 1967." Quote may be inaccurate due to bad memory; and I don't have a dictionary of Australian political terms.

By the way I'm sitting on a Distinction.